Friday, September 30, 2005

Golden Retrievers, Starbucks, and Papaya Salad

I posted many pictures to the blog this morning. I am caught up with the pictures that I want to post. When I post and edit pictures I use Picassa, an excellent free program from Google. I could improve the editing of the pictures by using Photoshop, but my goal now is to share. When I return I will work on a web site and will use Photoshop. I especially miss using the Photoshop Multiply and Screen command. I also would love to have the Shadow/Highlight command.

Today, after finishing a Thai lesson we walked over to the entry to the park to have Papaya salad. It was a wonderful taste, not "cooled" for non Thai taste. Jit was with some of her friends and for some of the time I was the subject of conversation. It is strange to be the subject of an animated conversation that you can only catch about 10% of the meaning. Some times I asked Jit "What did you just say?" It was fun. And the way back I was told that the small crocodiles, the monitor lizards, live under the greenhouse. Another thing to watch for.

Ooy, who makes a living as a motorcycle taxi, has a beautiful dog. It looks just like one of those long hair golden retrievers that you see in TV ads of an American family. I guess she bought it as a puppy. Its temperament was much more like I am used to. The dog was attentive and focused on the humans around him. I could even pet it. I was surprised. I always bug Jit by mentioning how beautiful a dog is, or how smart a dog looks, she is afraid that I will want to own a dog here. Her fear is justified:)

Back to Thai lessons for know. It is a beautiful day, it looks, from the cumulus clouds like there might be rain later. One of the neighbors just brought an excellent coffee drink buy, it is sort of a sweetened espresso. It is really good, better then Starbucks. I sure wished I could understand the Thai language.....

Macworld: News: MIT to launch $100 laptop prototype in November

Macworld: News: MIT to launch $100 laptop prototype in November

Looking two years out, is the problem getting the computers or is the problem getting the internet connection? Even with an internet connection the price of a computer will be an obstacle for wide distribution of technology in low-income areas. Still though there will be a need for training and maybe new net tools adapted to the new platform. Maybe there are four parts to the puzzle, the broadband internet connection, the computer to use the connection, training to use the computer, and tools on the internet that are directly useful and motivating for the community of users for instance resources in the appropriate language with useful local information.

Street Lamp on the road to Bang Krachow Posted by Picasa

Around the community Posted by Picasa

Around the community Posted by Picasa

Riding downriver from Bang Krachow Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phra Pradaeng Posted by Picasa

Downtown Phrapradaeng Posted by Picasa

Bangkrachow Posted by Picasa

Thursday, September 29, 2005


On the bus in Phrapradaeng Posted by Picasa

Another day at STOU

Yesterday there was a loud speaker in Phra Predaeng advertising registration for new classes at the Center for Non-Traditional Education. According to Jit the loudspeaker was saying "train for new positions, learn during retirement, build a new life. Registration is starting for classes." Jit called the center for Tawn, her nephew. She also asked about visiting. We will visit the Phra Predaeng center early next week, Monday or Tuesday. On Wednesday we go to STOU. We will be able to meet with a professor who specializes in Non-Traditional education. I am looking forward to the meeting.

At STOU today we talked about using the Palm or Pocket PC with Outlook or Meeting Maker. I brought my computer to show how I do time management. I also demonstrated Evernote. I will be preparing a database "sketch", using Access, of a counseling support database. I am still strongly hoping that people will adopt Outlook for counseling support. I do not know if the IT department at STOU supports Microsoft Exchange, but even without Exchange, Outlook is a great way to manage counseling responsibility. I will have a very rough database prepared for a week from Monday.

We had a great lunch in the cafeteria and got to talk about cultural preservation. I am very interested in exploring this area in greater depth. It started to rain hard in the afternoon, with very loud thunder. When it calmed down a little we made our way home. Jit is working on getting the kitchen done, it has a roof and a wall now. Tomorrow we will get screens and glass. The kitchen is outside the main house with a lot of air circulation. Jit is also working on getting cabinets and storage for the kitchen. This Sunday we go to Petchaburi. I am looking forward to it. Next week will be very busy.

I need to get my film processed. I want to get a set of pictures made to give to the people in the community. I need to edit and prepare a CD of pictures so that I can get prints made. It is hard to imagine that I have been here for a month.

Audio conferences, competencies, and learning Thai!

Sometimes we take for granted technology that we use everyday. I think we take for granted the use of audio conferences at the University of Alaska. From Thailand the use of audio is an innovative, efficient, and practical tool. In my email I get messages about meetings, courses, convocations, and faculty development all offered by audio. Audio conferences are a remarkable technology that permeates our academic culture. Even without our use of audio conferences for course delivery, audio is remarkable.

The evolution of audio conference platforms and the reduction of cost to use audio conferences is also remarkable. This year we put our audio conference platform out for competitive bid and www.genesys.com was the winner. We used genesys.com last year also. Previously we used a system developed and provided by the state of Alaska. It was much more expensive and did not have the features and capability of our current system.

Yesterday I shared some information on competencies and evaluations with Siriwat. The use of competencies for course evaluations is a topic of wide interest. Again I think we take for granted strategies that we have used for years.

For most of the morning I was working on my Rosetta Stone Thai CD. I did three more lessons. I also read some of the material that I purchased from Richard.

We went to Phra Predang by bus in the afternoon to get some more e-go cards. It is always fun to wander around a Thai town. The rich activity, almost chaos, is fascinating and very different from Alaska. I think my eyes and my mind become overwhelmed by everything I see. Sometimes my feelings are overwhelmed too because of the courage, energy, and tragedy that I see. Human beings are a remarkably adaptable and energetic species.

Today we will spend at STOU, on Sunday with will be visiting a regional and provincial center at Phet Buri (Phetchaburi)

Next week I want to use for visiting some other locations. We have an appointment with the Center for Non-Formal Education in Phra-Predang. I also need some time to pause, reflect, and re-focus.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Richard's Life in Thailand: On the River in Bangkok

Richard's Life in Thailand

Another of Richard's blogs about our home area. I am very lucky to have such a beautiful place to stay on my Sabbatical. Everyday I have experiences that are new and unexpected. We hope to visit Richard in a couple weeks to do some more exploring.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005


Paying for the bus ride. We are going shopping. More pictures tomorrow. Posted by Picasa

Crossing the road to the bus stop. We are going shopping. At the entrance to the road to Jit's home. Posted by Picasa

The road that leads to Jit's home. The road is very narrow, it is a great road for motor bikes. Posted by Picasa

Keenon at the home dedication. She took me to see the dedication. Posted by Picasa

Igniting the firecrackers at the home dedication. Posted by Picasa

Dedicating the beginning of a new home. Posted by Picasa

Some of the children, and Keenon helping with the dessert. Posted by Picasa

The syrup cooking. It will be mixed with other ingredients to make the community dessert. Posted by Picasa

Keenon preparing some of the community desert. Keenon is very helpful to me. Posted by Picasa

Doing some database planning with Nednapa and Mr. Warachat. We are working on a database to help client tracking. Posted by Picasa

Meeting with some of the STOU leadership. It was an enjoyable meeting. The people at STOU are very helpful and supportive. I appreciate it. Posted by Picasa

Richard's Life in Thailand The Loop In the River

Richard's Life in Thailand

Richard's blog of visiting us Sunday. It is a great description. I will be emailing the link to my friends back in Alaska.
Thank You Richard.

Cultural preservation and program review?

Yesterday we met somebody returning from Issan who was working on Thai Studies and Cultural Preservation. I want to learn more. Again I get a strong echo of rural Alaska experience and priorities. I will keep my ears open to learn more about what STOU does in this area and how it relates to rural Alaska.

This morning one of the ladies who makes candy came over. She had some pills and wanted to know what they did, there was no information except the name of the medicine. We got out the computer and used Google to get the information. The pills were for muscle relaxation and would help the sore muscles resulting from doing all the stirring in the candy making. I did not try the Thai language version of Google, but I should have.

On the way to the dock, beside the road, there are three broken spirit houses, they look like they were just dumped there. Richard explained a little about how that might happen, but I want to learn more. Out of the corner of my eye so many things make me curious.

We tried a new way to STOU, taxi, sky train, looking for white mini-van, gave up and took the taxi. Ended up costing about the same, and not really saving time. Will try other ways soon. Next time we will try Victory monument. We tried to get the film developed and scanned near STOU, but I could not understand at what resolution. I think I will try at MBK or something like that.

We had a great meeting at STOU. I met with Sirirat and Dr Kunchon. (I murder the spelling of Thai names. I need to see things written down.) Another person joined us who also asked good questions. I do not remember her name, but she is also 60 and getting ready to retire. The conversation lasted for about two hours, it was deep and thoughtful. We talked about the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the UAF processes of program review, program assessment, faculty promotion and tenure procedures and annual reports, We also talked about the university accreditation process, No Child Left Behind, and audio conferences, among other things. The questions were great and I felt I could be of some value. I hope to follow up with more conversations. I had previously shared the relevant UAF documents from the Provosts web site. Underlying the conversation was the realization that the academic processes are very different in Thailand. Having very different, but similar, institutions is a valuable way to generate new ideas.

We also dropped by a very good book store across the street from STOU, most of the books were in Thai, but the atmosphere was great. I love bookstores that are near universities.

As always it was great to cross the river and to get home. I will post photographs later tonight or tomorrow.

Yesterday I was useful!

Yesterday I was useful!
Yesterday was a good day. We had a meeting with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Network Development and International Affairs. We were also joined by Shaiful Alam. He will be returning to Bangladesh. We walked across from STOU for a wonderful Chinese restaurant. I have never had Chinese food that tasted as good. People seemed curious and interested about Alaska. I found some more about the academic decision making at STOU and also the actual experience of teaching. It was an interesting and valuable meeting. The people knew where Jit lived, Jit was very helpful and a wonderful companion.

I got to work with Nednapa and also Mr. Warachat on designing a database for counselor support. We were working on what the essential attributes would necessary for a successful database. We will meet again on Thursday to continue the discussion. I felt good to have some value in a discussion.

At STOU they use radio and TV as an integral part of the education process. We got to see a radio progress about counseling and advising. The radio program was in real time. There were two subjects, how to be happy on the job, and also a call in from a former graduate of STOU on how to prepare and succeed as a Distance Delivery student. The Counseling department prepares a live show each week. There is a script that is prepared. The responsibility for the show is rotated among the counselors. I think using radio and TV is another example of mastering appropriate technology for distance delivery. I know in Alaska there are various and intermittent attempts at the use of TV for course delivery. I remember quite a few years ago it was a major means of delivery. I know I see a lecture coming out of UAS on a regular basis when I channel surf.

The most remarkable part of the day was our ride home. We rode home with one of the counselors, Ah, who new about Jit's home area. She lives in the Mahawong area. Her parents used to teach in Bangnamphung area. We were invited home for dinner. The food was excellent, but the conversation even more so. The family is large and lives in a large peaceful compound. There are many computers that people use, and many of the family members are professonal, scientists. I never thought of the economic potential of a Thai famiily working together. We had many questions about social security, health, the role to technology and its impact on younger people and the role of the government in influencing the people. The conversation was interesting and the sense of thoughtfulness, curiousity, and values permeated the discussion. We got a ride home afterward, even crossed the ferry by the mega-bridge. It was dark and the outer gate to the park was locked when we got home. Nhum, who drove us home, thoughtfully waited with the car lights on until we got over the bridge. I am thankful for the thoughtfulness and values that we experience.

When I write I realize how limited I am in the ability to evoke my experience. At the best, when I read this next year, I hope it reawakens my memory of a wonderful day.

Monday, September 26, 2005

MercuryNews.com | 09/26/2005 | Brazilians blazing trails with Internet technology

MercuryNews.com | 09/26/2005 | Brazilians blazing trails with Internet technology

A very interesting article on technology in Brazil. I am not sure how it applies to Thailand, but it is another perspective on the power of technology. How people get computer training, and what inspires the use of technology are crucially important world wide issues.

[ : : : : Office of The Non-Formal Education Commission : ONFEC : : : : ]

[ : : : : Office of The Non-Formal Education Commission : ONFEC : : : : ]

This is what I have been looking for. I have a whole new area to explore. This is the kind of program and education that I am interested in. I need to get a contact and start my exploration. I think my sabbatical will move into a different area. It is odd that I only found this resource now. One reason might be is that the Office of the Non-Formal Education is distinct from higher education.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Big C, Community Candy, and Richard

Saturday Morning
We went to the Big C to do some larger shopping. We need many things. We took the bus in to Phra Pradaeng with Nuke, it took two transfers. The bus was non-air conditioned and the windows were open so the photography was great. I got some excellent pictures, I think, of the Mega-Bridge and also of general street life. We did two shopping carts worth of shopping and the cost was only $125, which included meat, CDR's and a bunch of household stuff. Juke and his family came to pick us up at Big C.

Coming back from Big C we stopped by a shop so Jit could print some NANA forms. The shop was small air-conditioned and was very interesting. One of the workers was making a DVD from some video, there was reference to digital photography, and a wide variety of printers. I asked, through Jit, if we could come back and talk. The computer operator said sure, but that it would be better on weekends. It looks like people use the shop for everything from Xerox copies to design and document creation. We will be back.

Saturday Afternoon
I got some more experience with the community yesterday. The people were finishing making the candy, it looks sort of like Cracker Jacks, but with more nuts. The most important part of the candy making was the community feeling. Everybody was gathered and seemed to have fun.

The kids came back from school yesterday, I did not know they were gone. School is out for a month and the high school kids returned, it sure brought back memories of Shaktoolik when the kids left for school. So there are many new faces around the community.

I also got to see the dedication of a new house. The first two posts for the house structure were decorated with garlands and sashes. People gathered and placed the posts into the hole, there was some kind of call, then a gold leaf ceremony, tying the posts together with a white string, and then a long string of fire-crackers were exploded. The ceremony is a wish for a good prosperous home with good feelings. I was glad to see the ceremony. Many of the actions were similar to visiting a temple.

Friday night the air-conditioner made some very alarming noises. We turned it off and I realized how dependent I am on air-conditioning to sleep. People came, some of Jit's relatives, and fixed it Saturday.

Sunday Morning
I went for a walk in the park when I woke up Sunday morning. There were small fish swimming and leaving wakes in the morning, I love the morning, cool, and the light is beautiful. Last night the light was also nice and there was a very interesting cloud that grew and then blew away. This morning I found a place in the shade and just watched the life, birds, fish, insects, people.

Si, the person who does a lot of the work building the house, has been bugging me to take his picture because he looks like a movie star! So I have been taking more pictures of him. Still have not found a place to get pictures developed. I need a place that I can return to, and that is fairly convenient. The best place to look would be at the MBK center downtown.

Before Richard came we spent time with the community candy making. It was wonderful to see the people working together. The candy was distributed to the community this evening. We gave some to Richard and some more to Jit's brothers family.

Richard is coming to visit today. Jit is getting ready. When Richard arrived we walked around the community and then went to the small boat dock. We tool a long boat trip down the river along the peninsula. Later Richard, Jit and I had a thoughtful conversation, very interesting. Among many other things we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of RSS feeds. I learned a lot. There was a large afternoon Storm as we finished walking in the park. Just the right timing. Went to the Sunday market and then Git and his family came to visit. Also Richard brought some Thai language learning materials. It was a VERY busy day. Tomorrow off to STOU to learn new things. I have many new pictures to sort through and to prepare for posting.


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Saturday, September 24, 2005

2Bangkok.com - Bangkok's mega-bridge

2Bangkok.com - Bangkok's mega-bridge

The Mega-Bridge is pretty amazing. It is very near Jit's home. For more information explore this web site.

The Mega-Bridge Bangkok Thailand Posted by Picasa